We’re now well and truly in the meat of what’s been an incredible NBL22 season that should only get better. Action for Round 15 gets underway on Thursday night with a blockbuster between Melbourne United and the Perth Wildcats. Find our preview and best bet for that clash plus other key NBL Round 15 games right here!
Additionally, if you’re a basketball fanatic like us, then make sure to check out our NBA Tips page for a ton of quality free NBA betting tips for multiple games on multiple slates, each and every week of the season!
NBL Round 15 Betting Tips
Melbourne United vs Perth Wildcats
Thursday 7:30pm AEDT, John Cain Arena
Melbourne United have put together a five-game win streak heading into Round 15 of what’s turning into another fantastic season. There were doubts about the quality and depth of their roster after turning it over quite a bit after last season’s championship, but they’ve put those doubts to bed with their 13-4 putting them two games clear at the top of the standings.
Much like their opponents and fierce rivals, the Wildcats have shut a lot of people up once again with another strong regular season so far. Although they added the superstar talent of Vic Law, the Wildcats lost plenty of key players in the off-season and were expected to suffer as a result. That certainly hasn’t happened however, and their most recent 19-point win over the 36ers saw them climb to third in the standings with a 10-6 record.
These two NBL powerhouse clubs have only met once so far this season, which was also at John Cain Arena in Melbourne only a couple of weeks ago. United came out victorious by six points on that occasion in what was an uncharacteristically high-scoring affair between these two defensive-first teams. We suspect there was some heavy scouting done after that game and expect their second meeting to be a much more defensive type of ball game.
New Zealand Breakers vs Adelaide 36ers
Saturday 8pm AEDT, Adelaide 36ers Arena
The Breakers season continues to go from bad to worse as they enter Round 15 on a four-game losing streak. They remain the only team in the competition still yet to string consecutive wins together, which is an alarming stat considering we’re now 17 games into the season. As a result, the Breakers are currently sitting on the bottom of the standings with a 4-13 record.
The 36ers haven’t fared too much better than their upcoming opponents in NBL22, and also enter Round 15 having lost each of their last four games. They were absolutely no match for the Wildcats in their most recent outing, going down by 19 points in what was their third straight loss on their home deck. The 36ers record is now 5-11, which is the third worst mark in the competition.
These teams have met once so far this season, which was back in December when the 36ers ran out comfortable 13-point winners. Neither team has tasted much success since that clash and both are currently on four-game losing streaks, making this a tough one to predict. With that said, the 36ers will have the advantage of having the home crowd on their side, which is just enough to persuade me to back them in.
Tasmania JackJumpers vs Illawarra Hawks
Sunday 1pm AEDT, MyState Bank Arena
The JackJumpers continued their impressive start to life in the NBL with a dominant win over the Taipans last time out. They managed to keep the Snakes to just 69 points for the game, which was the second straight game of limiting their opponents to under 70 points. As a result of this type of defence, the JackJumpers have won seven of their last 10 games and are sixth in the standings.
The Hawks have been in some really good form themselves in recent weeks, winning each of their last three and five of their last six games. They’ve been firing on all cylinders on offence with 83+ points scored in each of their last four games, making them one of the deadliest teams in the competition. The Hawks are now 11-7 on the season and are sitting in fourth spot in the standings.
These teams faced each other only a couple of weeks ago when the JackJumpers caused a big upset on the road to defeat the Hawks 96-86. However, the Hawks have gone onto win each of their last three games since that loss by an average margin of 12.3 points and are the deserving favourites here once again. I expect them to get their revenge and cover the spread against the JackJumpers.
Illawarra Hawks -3.5
$1.95
Cairns Taipans vs Sydney Kings
Sunday 5:30pm AEDT, Cairns Convention Centre
The Taipans were no match for the in-form JackJumpers in their most recent outing, going down 69-85 in what was their third straight loss by a double-figure margin. Defence continues to be a big issue for the Snakes, with the team giving up 85+ points in each of their last three, although the likely return of Tahjere McCall will help sure them up on that side of the ball.
The Kings are absolutely rolling at the moment with wins in each of their last six and eight of their last nine games. They have star talent at just about every position on the floor, although they’re expected to be without key big Xavier Cooks on Sunday night. Regardless, the Kings are clearly the form team of the competition at the moment and have climbed into fourth spot in the standings.
The return of key guard Tahjere McCall certainly levels things out a bit on paper, but he and Scott Machado have had very little court time together this season and will likely take a couple more games to start to gel properly. Unfortunately, they come up against one of the powerhouses in the competition in the Kings who I expect to be far too good on this occasion.
*More NBL22 Round 15 previews and betting tips coming soon*
